Macabre Demise - Awakening (2020)

Awakening is the third album from the German band Macabre Demise. Most of the time it is mid tempo brutal death, slamming a bit, grooving more than a bit, and they also inject some change of pace and diversity with grind elements. Well done and enjoyable release, I like it!

The Bandcamp page.

Heavens Blade - Heavens Blade (2019)

Heavens Blade is the hardcore side project from the Youth Code vocalist Sara Taylor and with Suicide Silence drummer Alex Lopez, Rob Zombie bassist Piggy D. (on guitar) and former Marilyn Manson bassist Fred Sablan. But what they do is quite traditional old school style hardcore, and they do it well on this EP of five straight to the point no bullshit hardcore songs. Cool stuff.

The BC page

Pharmakon - Devour (2019)

To be honest I wasn't fully convinced by Pharmakon (Margaret Chardiet) previous releases, I don't know if Devour, released last year by Sacred Bones (but she's probably their noisiest and most extreme artist), is better or if I just listen differently to her music, but anyway I find this one really good. Excellent power electronics, with a bit of rhythm and somewhat melodies deep in the background, making each of tracks a distinct and memorable one.

The Bandcamp page.

ESP Mayhem - Bloodsportswear (2020)

Was starting to despair about finding a 2020 release that I'd like to review, so far none had made a big impression on me... until I found this one! Exciting stuff! Coming from my favourite grind dealers Nerve Altar records ESP Mayhem is a new band composed of experienced musicians from the Australian extreme scene (Internal Rot, Incinerated, Headless Death, etc.). On Bloodsportswear what they play is grind with synth instead of guitars, one vocalist, one drummer, and three synth players!
You could expect something "cheesy" but it's not at all, it sounds different but still definitely grind, maybe it could evoke something like "sci-fi grind". Anyway it's really well done, with some excellent tracks, ferocious and catchy in their weird ways. After the 10 minutes of those 8 tracks you'll just be clicking "play" again before you realize it. I highly recommend you try it!

The BC page.

Eggs of Gomorrh - Outpregnate (2019)

Outpregnate is the first album from the Swiss Eggs of Gomorrh and it's a fine piece of war/chaotic black-death metal, six tracks in 16 min closing with an Arkhon Infaustus cover that fit perfectly the music they play. Recommended if you're into this kind of metal.

The Bandcamp page.

Best of 2019 : the eclectic list

I've already posted a best of grindcore list (HERE) a best of death metal list (HERE), a industrial/electronic best of list (HERE), and now I post a list of every album that I really liked in 2019 that doesn't belong in one of those list, from hardcore to hip-hop to jazz here it is :

 Black Mountain - Destroyer

Christian Scott - Ancestral Recall

Dead Neanderthals - Ghosts

Endorphins Lost - Seclusions

Flying Luttenbachers - Shattered Dimension

Full of Hell - Weeping Choir

John Zorn – The Hierophant

King Midas Sound - Solitude

Lightning Bolt - Sonic Citadel

L’orange - Complicate Your Life With Violence

Mike Patton & Jean-Luc Vannier

Obscuringveil – Fleshvoid to Naught

Refused - War Music

Shit& Shine - Doing Drugs, Selling Drugs

Sole – Destituent 

Teethof the Sea - Wraith

  

Turbohaler - Metal Vessel Music

Pisser - Wretched Life (EP 2019)

Pisser is a new band composed of experienced players from the UK punk/hardcore scene (Doom, Sore Throat, Anti-Cimex, The Filaments, etc.). To make is short what they play on their first release, the Wretched Life EP, could be described as Discharge with the addition of a saxhophone player. And it works just fine. Cool stuff!

The BC page.